Re: id questions

Well, Donna, your hens and chicks are Sempervivums (or semps for
short) and hens and chicks is often what they're called. They belong
to the Crassulaceae (sedum) family; there are about 40 species of
them. Neat plants IMO - hundreds of "named" types out there without
huge amounts of variation in color (which ranges from reddish to
bright green, dull green and blue-green; yours look like the cobweb
type; very neat), all are great, undemanding plants.
They are often grown on roofs in Europe, hence another common name,
houseleeks. The flowering plant will die after flowering, but lives
on through its numerous offspring. They want sun but will take part
sun - just won't be as colorful; can grow in very little soil (saw a
huge mat of them growing on top of a stone wall at Asiatica Nursery a
couple of years ago). About their only requirement is sharp drainage
- they will rot if too wet. Great for tucking in around large rocks
in rock gardens or anywhere you've got one in sun.
I had a flatish clay pot full of them for several years; last year
the pot got broken. They stayed in it all winter outside (they are
very hardy) with a brick propping up the broken off section of pot so
they wouldn't wash out and this spring I had the bright idea of using
one of the hollow logs I had laying around for them. Got son to make
me ends for the log out of old bits of cedar and filled it with a
very gritty, sandy soil mix; transferred all my little guys and they
seem happy as all get out - looks right neat, too, if I do say so
myself. Also have several in my sand bed. Keep dreaming of making
one of those cascades of assorted types down some rocky screeish bit
of something but have not as yet.
Love your poppy...that looks like a keeper. Wait until the seed is
mature (generally the head dries) and scatter it around where you
want it to grow or let Mother Nature do it for you.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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> From: Donna <justme@prairieinet.net>
> A friend dropped off what she called hen and chicks... (non
gardening
> friend). I have never seen this before! So what is it really?
>
> http://illianagardenpond.org/henckflower.jpg
> http://illianagardenpond.org/henckstem.jpg
>
> And as some know, I am nut case about seeing what shows up in new
> soil... all along my mother kept telling me it was a poppy. I kept
> looking at the leaves and saying I don't think so... but mother was
> right! Strange tho that they are two different flowers. One is a
double?
> And the other a single of the same variety? Anyone got a real name
for
> this also? They are striking, I will give them that. I don't do
poppies,
> so assuming they are developing into seed pods? Do I dry them and
in the
> fall spread where I would prefer them to grow?
>
>
> http://illianagardenpond.org/poppydouble.jpg (In a difficult spot
to
> photograph)
>
> http://illianagardenpond.org/poppysingle.jpg
>
> And the last question of the night is .... dogwood tree. One
appeared
> here today. I killed the last one. What do they need to survive in
Zone
> 5?
>
>
> Donna
> Where it is currently raining... after I spent all evening
watering..
> don't trust the weather man anymore!
>
>
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